Easy Italian Starter Dishes by Ruth Paget

Easy Italian Starter Dishes by Ruth Paget 

Food Network star Giada de Laurentis writes in her book Giada in the Kitchen (Available on Amazon Kindle) that she studied cooking in Rome and worked as a personal chef before appearing on television. 

I think being a personal chef is a good gig job to earn extra money to pay bills and/or invest that can turn into full-time work, if desired in the food industry. 

De Laurentis makes use of seasonal produce, which Salinas (California) has in abundance in its six farmers’ markets and supermarkets selling organic produce. 

Three of the recipes in Giada in the Kitchen that I think are great for ease of preparation and maximum flavor follow: 

*Tomato, Watermelon, and Basil Skewers with a sweet Balsamic vinaigrette sprinkled on them 

*Roman Summer Salad made with Balsamic vinegar, green and black olives, parsley, crushed anchovy filets, capers, garlic chives, pepper, olive oil, and tomatoes 

*Hearty tomato soup made with puréed onions, carrots, garlic, white cannellini beans, crushed tomatoes, chicken broth, and rosemary. To this puréed mixture, you fold in heavy cream beaten into peaks. 

De Laurentis calls this hearty tomato soup an après-ski dish. 

Giada in the Kitchen by Giada de Laurentis has many recipes that can be used by personal chefs, caterers, and home cooks. That is what I find to be the real beauty of her books. 

By Ruth Paget 

-author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France + 6 Kindle books 

-developer of the Novgorod and Bento War Games

UChicago Press book The Library of Ancient Wisdom Shares Mesopotamian History reposted by Ruth Paget

The University of Chicago Press book The Library of Ancient Wisdom: Mesopotamia and the Making of the Modern World by Selena Winsom discusses the fire that destroyed the last Assyrian library and yet conserved its contents made of clay tablets written in cuneiform script.

Details and purchase information about The Library of Ancient Wisdom follow:

https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/L/bo250606275.html?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=Trinity&utm_campaign=New%20Buyers%20Welcome_7-14-26

Reposted by Ruth Paget

-author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France + 6 Kindle books

-developer of the Novgorod and Bento War Games

PhotoWalk in Carmel, California on July 18, 2026 reposted by Ruth Paget

The Online Community Calendar of the Monterey County Weekly lists the PhotoWalk in Carmel, California on July 18, 2026.

This event organized by the Center for Photographic Art invites participants to visit Carmel’s galleries with featured photographers’ work on display.

Details about this event showcasing Carmel’s contribution to photographic art follow:

https://www.montereycountynow.com/events/#/details/photowalk-carmel-2026/19382014/2026-07-18T13

Reposted by Ruth Paget

-author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

-developer of the Novgorod and Bento War Games

Easy Italian Appetizers by Ruth Paget

Easy Italian Appetizers by Ruth Paget 

Giada de Laurentis writes in her cookbook Giada at Home (Available on Amazon Kindle) that she studied Italian cooking in Rome and worked as a personal chef before becoming a Food Network personality. 

Working as a personal chef seems to be a good gig job that can become a full-time career for people interested in working in the food and beverage industry. Getting a first job is probably tough as it is most industries, but de Laurentis provides a clue as to where to start: appetizers. 

Just based on my personal experience, I know that I buy and like tortilla chips and pico de gallo salsa as an everyday appetizer. De Laurentis writes that many people buy chips and dip like me, but with a little planning homemade appetizers can elevate meals, especially when entertaining. 

Three of the appetizers de Laurentis describes make use of grilled baguette bread rounds as a base for spreadable toppings in appetizers called crostini. (Very hard crostini are called bruschetta.) 

Three crostini appetizers that make great use of produce, which you can find at all six of the farmers’ markets in Salinas, California include: 

*Roasted Eggplant Crostini 

-these are made with roasted eggplant puréed with white cannellini beans, parsley, lemon juice, garlic, and salt and pepper as a topping 

*Artichoke Crostini 

-these are made with puréed artichoke hearts, white cannellini beans, Pecorino Romano cheese, basil, lemon zest, lemon juice, and salt and pepper This purée is spread on top of the bruschetta with crumbled pieces of roasted prosciutto sprinkled over the bruschetta.

Rome is famous in Italy for its artichokes according to de Laurentis. Just outside Salinas, Castroville (California) has become the US capital of artichoke production. Castroville holds an annual artichoke festival. Marilyn Monroe was one of the artichoke festival’s queens for some local gossip. 

*Pea Pesto Crostini 

De Laurentis uses frozen peas in this recipe and purées them with Parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, and olive oil to spread on top of the crostini. Halved cherry tomatoes are placed on top of the pea pesto for added color and flavor. 

These three crostini are good to make at home and can be part of a personal chef’s portfolio of items to offer potential clients. 

Giada at Home by Giada de Laurentis contains many clearly written recipes that make use of seasonal produce, which both help home cooks and aspiring personal chefs keep costs down. 

The link below has information about working as a personal chef. Check if you need a safe food handling course, insurance, and any permits with local governments. 

https://ruthpaget.blogspot.com/2026/03/personal-chef-information-to-consider.html?m=1

Happy Cooking! 

By Ruth Paget 

-author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France + 6 Kindle books 

-developer of the Novgorod and Bento War Games and Classical Western Civilization War Games (8)

Six California Kitchens Lessons by Ruth Paget

Six California Kitchens Lessons by Ruth Paget 

Sally Schmitt, the author of Six California Kitchens, co-founder of Napa Valley’s French Laundry Restaurant, and champion of farm-to-table cooking, has left a legacy in California for high standards in home cooking, farmers’ markets organization, and dining at fine restaurants as part of elite tourism. 

As a home cook and someone who likes California’s cuisine offerings, I chose three of her soup recipes to remind me of trips my family has family has made to Napa Valley. 

All three of these soups can be puréed and chilled to eat on hot, summer days like those in Napa Valley: 

-cold cucumber soup made with garlic chives, yogurt, cucumbers, water, mint, buttermilk, salt and pepper, and sweet onions 

-eggplant soup made yogurt, garlic chives, sauteed eggplant, chicken stock, salt and pepper, and half and half. This soup is garnished with chopped shiitake mushrooms 

-zucchini soup made with sautéed zucchini, salt, water, chicken stock, half and half, olive oil, shallots, and parsley 

These vegetable-centric soups will always make me think of Sally Schmitt, the farm-to-table champion, who has made just about everyone in California value home cooking, farmers’ markets, organic produce, and fine restaurants. 

Cooks who value farm-to-table dining will find much to like in Six California Kitchens by Sally Schmitt, which captures the lifestyle and values of Napa Valley. 

By Ruth Paget 

-author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France + 6 Kindle books 

-developer of the Novgorod and Bento War Games and Classical Western Civilization War Games (8)  

-developer of food and beverage knowledge games 

-creator of online exhibits about San Miguel Arcangel Mission, French baguette making, and the Carmel Valley History Museum 

-creator of French Travel and Culture Games

-writer of 1800+ Central Coast Californian lifestyle blogs

-family genealogist - work includes editing 250 of my grandmother’s and father’s recipes (available on Ruthpaget.blogspot.com) and 150 recipes I wrote at the onset of COVID

Unmasking Waste book deals with trash from the Mayas to modern America reposted by Ruth Paget

University of Chicago anthropologist Sarah Newman writes about waste from the Mayas to Modern America in her book Unmasking Waste. New Histories of Old Things.

She discusses several large systemic changes that have to take place to deal with waste in the following interview transcript:.

https://news.uchicago.edu/big-brains-podcast-what-our-trash-problem-says-about-our-culture-sarah-newman?utm_medium=07.07email&utm_source=UChicagoNews&mkt_tok=MjUwLUNRSC05MzYAAAGjALWZ_tOw5HjefmfJl77dcoPIBTW0wYNnhcBHSJa-mVy2Kw82fGCRRJVfVf3iffuyPJdNZAotE1phGaMR9QZEo_87Dai-lCYYSF2AgbH-8EaY3tQ

Reposted by Ruth Paget

-author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

-developer of the Novgorod and Bento War Games

50 Volunteer Concierges Assist World Cup Players in Kansa City reposted by Ruth Paget

UChicago Booth School of Business Alumnus Alan Dietrich has organized FIFA World Cup Games in Kansas City, Missouri and recruited a team of 50 Volunteer Concierges to help teams with everything from getting to venues to dinner reservations.

The following article from Chicago Booth Review details how using MBA skills can work in many industries including elite sporting events:

https://www.chicagobooth.edu/why-booth/stories/how-an-alumnus-brought-the-world-cup-to-kansas-city

Reposted by Ruth Paget

-author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

-developer of the Novgorod and Bento War Games